Chapter 6
One look at him told Sam that Sheppard was not fine. He was pale and drawn, and having difficulty with even the ambient light in control room. She was relieved they hadn't needed to turn the work lights on. The sunlight coming through the windows was muted by a thin cloud layer, but even that appeared to be painful for him. Sam spotted the glaring work light set up in the conference room and hurried the last couple of steps to turn it off. There would be sufficient light coming through the doors for the briefing.
"Hey! What'd you do that for?" McKay twisted in his chair and saw Sam nod toward the door. When he saw John, his mouth formed a silent "O". Guilt for his outburst bit at him again.
Sam looked around. "Okay, let's make this quick. I want everyone to get as much rest as possible before we resume at midnight."
"Midnight?" Rodney couldn't help himself.
"Yes. I think an extra couple hours of rest are needed." She looked at everyone but her gaze lingered on him in hopes of driving the point home.
She saw Ronon nod in agreement. He was essentially playing mother hen to Sheppard and knew what was going on with him. The friendship between him and Sheppard reminded her of O'Neill and Teal'c. There were differences, to be sure, but the underlying loyalty and trust was the same. It was a strong, even if unlikely, friendship.
The first thing that caught her eye when they entered was Ronon watching his friend very closely. Reading the Satedan was not easy, but Sam was certain she could see deep concern in his eyes. It wasn't difficult to understand. She wondered how long her 2IC would be able to keep the city online.
She turned to the chief scientist. "How are we doing, Rodney?"
He dragged his eyes away from Sheppard and cleared his throat. "If the dimwits we so laughingly call scientists and programmers would stop fooling around, we should need no more than fifty hours."
"Will any of the systems be available before then?" Teyla asked.
"No. Even though each affected function and subroutine have viruses targeted specifically at them, they are all tied to the main operating system. I may be able to get a few things running, but nothing will be stable until the operating system is repaired." He took a deep breath and continued the bad news. "By fifty hours, I mean it will take that long if we worked nonstop. Every time we power down, it takes time to reboot, retrace steps, etcetera. So, factoring in down time and the additional work, and testing, we're looking at something like four days, maybe four and a half, total."
That was a hell of a long time to remain so vulnerable. Everyone cringed inwardly then turned to Sheppard. He nodded wordlessly, but there was a look of uneasiness in his eyes that was hard to miss.
Sam asked Ellis. "Colonel, anything on the sensors?"
"We're keeping an eye on the Hive ships. We think they're headed for M5Q-491. If they maintain course and speed, they'll get there in three days. Do you know if it's inhabited?"
McKay and Zelenka were already working furiously on their laptops. Zelenka spoke first. "We have not visited it, but…"
"We've had intel that there's a working copper mine on the planet." McKay finished.
Teyla leaned forward, anxiety in her voice. "I know this planet. Approximately 4,000 people live there. We must warn them."
"I know and we will." Sam agreed.
"Can they hide in the mine?" McKay asked.
Teyla shook her head. "No. The mine entrance is very close to the town and quite obvious. The Wraith will find it immediately."
"We can't use the Gate, can we?" Ellis asked.
"No." Sam answered, flicking a glance at John.
Even though she knew it wouldn't work, Teyla suggested, "Is there anyway to contact the Alpha site or M6P-721 by radio? They would be able to use the Stargate to warn the people of that planet."
"No. They don't have a sub-space radio." Rodney answered with frustration. "That needs to be rectified. We can't keep relying on the Gate to contact them. It's ridiculous."
"Yes, Rodney. We know and the SGC is working on portable units we can deploy in the field." Sam said.
Ellis asked, "When are they due to check in again?"
"The Alpha site dialed in the first day. We asked them not to dial in again unless there's an emergency, and to let 721 know as well." Sam replied. She was almost regretting the order, but her biggest worry had been Sheppard. They knew the incoming wormhole added a huge amount of strain. "We didn't know what it would affect here."
"We can use the Gate." Sheppard said quietly.
Sam shook her head. "I don't know, John."
He waved one hand. "Look, it won't take long to send a couple of squads through to the Alpha site in a Jumper. They can cloak and go to 491 from there. If everything's okay, they can warn the population, help them evacuate then head back to the Alpha site."
"We may not even be able to dial the Gate." She was not liking this idea at all. Holding the operating system and various functions they working on active was one thing. To add dialing the Gate and keeping the wormhole open was something else entirely.
He persisted, looking her in the eye. "We won't know until we try it."
"The Apollo could be there and back in about sixteen hours." Ellis offered.
Zelenka squinted at his laptop screen then looked up. "Uh. There is also the option of the Apollo going to M2R-914. They can use the Gate there to get to 491 and the round trip is only seven hours."
McKay was appalled at the notion. "What, and leave the city completely open to attack?"
Sam considered the ideas for several seconds. They needed to get word to 491, but couldn't leave Atlantis vulnerable for even seven hours. It wasn't the threat from space as much as through the Stargate. Even though she didn't want to, she agreed with Sheppard. "John, we'll try your way first. We can send the away team to the Alpha site and they can update Maj. Owens on our situation at the same time."
"Okay." He nodded and stood up.
"It'll take a little while to prepare an away team. In the meantime, I want you to see Dr. Keller."
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Sheppard was halfway down the stairs, heading for the infirmary, when someone rushed up behind him. He glanced back to see McKay hurrying to catch up. He stopped and turned around.
"Rodney?" He was surprised to see his friend away from the computers and hoped he wasn't going to get an earful about getting back to work.
"Sheppard. Uh…Um...Well." Rodney suddenly didn't seem to know what to say.
McKay being at a loss for words was something else John wasn't expecting. "What's up?"
"Well, apart from the distinct probability that we will need to blow up the city and leave Pegasus…" Rodney cleared his throat. "I, uh, just wanted to ask how it's going."
John thought for a moment. "I'm the one just sitting in the dark. I should be asking you. Can this be fixed?"
"Yes." He answered with his typical McKay confidence then faltered. "Well, I think so. If I had ten days and few people that had half a clue, I might be able to get it done."
John knew the time constraint was mostly on his own shoulders. "Is there any way to fix the connection so that Lorne or someone else can sit in the chair? You'd have the systems available 24 hours a day."
"I wish." He sighed heavily. "We have just one little problem. There is no one thing in the programming that specifically addresses the gene for the entire system. I'm afraid that for the present catastrophe, it's all, meaning you, or nothing."
"Okay." John said slowly. It was just confirmation of what he already knew. "I'll try to convince Dr. Keller and Col. Carter to let me stay longer."
"Thanks." Rodney said thoughtfully. He turned to go back to the control room then stopped, to watch John start down another flight of stairs. "Wait. Are you going to be okay?"
"Sure." He was as reassuring as he could be, even though they both knew it was probably a lie.
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Col. Carter stood in the door, frowning at prone figure on the bed. The only light in the room was provided by a small lamp, so Sam couldn't tell if Sheppard was awake.
Jennifer quietly guided her to the next room, casting a quick glance back at him, she whispered, "He's asleep."
They talked in hushed tones. "How is he doing?"
"I'd like him to sleep for as long as he can." Jennifer took a deep breath. "John has a migraine, or something like a migraine. I'm guessing it's severe, but he's refusing to let me give him anything for it. He doesn't want to risk any of the side effects."
"Side effects?"
"Drowsiness, dizziness, and nausea, which he already has. He's afraid he won't be able to concentrate."
"How long will it last?"
"It's hard to say. Without some kind of assistance, a migraine can last for days." She paused, lips compressed. "This isn't a classic migraine, though, so I have no idea."
"Damn." Sam folded her arms. There wasn't enough time. They needed to know now if the Apollo would have to make the journey to 491. She wasn't about to let a settlement of that, or any size, fall prey to the Wraith.
"Why?" Jennifer asked.
"We believe a Wraith fleet is headed for a large settlement on a mining planet. Ordinarily, we'd just send a team through the Gate to evacuate the inhabitants." Sam explained.
"The Stargate can't work without Col. Sheppard, can it?" Jennifer finished.
"No." Sam compressed her lips. "It may not work anyway, but John wants to try to it. Otherwise, we'll send the Apollo to the nearest planet with a Gate to send an away team."
"How long will that take?"
"Seven hours for the round trip."
Jennifer fidgeted with the tablet. "We'd be vulnerable, wouldn't we?"
"Is the away team ready?" His sleep roughened voice made both women jump.
"John." Sam glanced from him to the young doctor. "Yes, they're ready."
He gave Jennifer a look that said she shouldn't argue. She sighed in resignation. "Okay, but I want you back here as soon as you're done."
"It won't take long." He said as he carefully replaced his transceiver. "Apollo, this is Sheppard. I'm ready."
As the beaming light faded, Jennifer looked at Sam. "I mean it. I want him back here as soon as possible."
"I'll have Col. Ellis beam him back." Sam agreed.
The doctor chewed her lip as the colonel asked to be beamed back to the control room and then disappeared. She turned to see Dr. Reynolds approaching from the other direction.
"How is Col. Sheppard?" Beth asked as they walked through the infirmary to the scanner.
"Okay, for now." Jennifer pulled up his latest scan. "Take a look at this."
Beth looked over her shoulder and whistled softly. "Wow. What's the magnitude of the increase?"
Jennifer typed a command on the keyboard, showing the psychologist several scans and statistical results. "Rodney believes this virus thing is going to take several more days of very intensive work to fix."
Both women watched the image. Beth looked at her young colleague. "Have you run an extrapolation?"
"Yes. I don't think he should be in the chair for more than twelve hours a day, but I know it'll be more like fifteen to eighteen. So…" She pressed a couple of keys. "This is over four more days at an average of sixteen hours."
The image morphed, the area of activity enlarging then shrinking then enlarging again. After the first day, there was too much of an increase for it to return to normal. The area of increased activity grew with each passing day.
Beth whistled again. "I can see why you're worried. How is John holding up?"
"As well as you might expect." She turned the device off. "What worries me is that he'll keep this up until it kills him."
"Me, too."
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Sheppard watched as Ronon coalesced just outside the chair room door. He didn't bother to protest the obvious babysitting duties of his friend. Instead, he sat on the chair.
"Col. Carter, I'm ready."
"Alright, John. Go ahead." She responded.
He took a deep breath, sat back and placed his hands on the pads. The chair activated and the city came to life again. Seconds passed, then a minute then two.
McKay's frustrated voice came over their comms. "It's not going to work. You can shut it down."
"What's wrong?" Sheppard asked.
Sam answered him. "The DHD won't lock, John. We'll figure out something else."
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"Wait. Hold on."
Sam and Rodney looked at each other, wondering what he could possibly do. Opening a wormhole had been a long shot at best.
"Try it again." He was barely audible.
McKay's hand hesitated for a second before he pressed the first symbol for the Alpha site. When it encoded, he quickly completed the sequence. The wormhole formed with a highly satisfying kawhoosh.
"Maj. Owens, this is Col. Carter. Do you copy?"
"This is Owens. Good to see you've fixed the problem, Colonel." The Major replied.
"We actually haven't, Major. There's no time now to explain." Sam watched a Jumper descend into the area in front of the Gate. "Capt. Hillman is coming through with an away team in a Jumper. He'll fill you in."
"We're clear of the Gate, Colonel."
"You have a go, Captain." Sam said. The Jumper quickly pivoted and disappeared through the event horizon. It was packed with a dozen Marines and their equipment, the minimum she thought necessary for the mission.
"They've arrived, Colonel." Owens said within a few of seconds.
"Thank you. Major, we'll dial back as soon as we can."
"Copy that, Colonel. Good luck." Owens replied.
McKay hit the command to disconnect the wormhole and it disappeared instantly. The whole process had taken less than two minutes.
"John, you can shut it down. Thank you." Sam said as the puddle dissolved. Everything powered down before she finished speaking.
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Ronon watched Sheppard while he listened to the exchange. When the first attempt at dialing out failed, Sheppard opened his eyes and stared at some distant thing. He worked to slow his breathing and concentrate on making the Gate available for dialing. Ronon could only guess at what he was going on.
"Wait. Hold on." John took a couple of deep breaths then closed his eyes again and whispered, "Try it again."
They both heard sound of the Gate activating and the hurried discussion between Col. Carter and Owens over their transceivers. Ronon could see the muscles in Sheppard's jaw tensing as the seconds ticked by at a snail's pace. Finally, the all clear was given and he shut everything down again.
John leaned forward and pulled the transceiver from his left ear. He pressed his fingers around each temple and just sat there. Even though the sound from the control room was muted, it made the nausea he felt worse. Right now, John wanted to be somewhere dark and silent. Then he realized, no, that's where I've been.
"Sheppard?"
He looked up slowly. The pounding in head seemed to increase exponentially with the movement. He carefully stood up, keeping one hand on the chair to steady himself. "Yeah."
Ronon grabbed his arm. "Apollo, this is Ronon. We're ready."
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Dr. Keller ordered that the area of the infirmary where Sheppard would be was quiet and dark. It was as close to the scanner as possible. She wanted to make sure no damage was being done by his time in the chair. She arranged for the Apollo deposit him in the room and that everyone else was out of the way. Only she, Alex and Marie, two of her best nurses, would be there. All would be done quietly and with the minimum of fuss.
As the sparkling light from the beam disappeared, she could see Ronon needed to support him. John was pale and kept his head down, one hand shielding his eyes. Ronon relaxed his grip slightly when Alex stepped up to take his other arm.
"John, I want to run a scan, if you don't mind." Jennifer said softly. She was both deeply concerned and very curious about what she'd seen earlier. To her surprise, after only a moment's hesitation, he merely inclined his head a fraction in agreement. She pointed toward the scanner room. "I promise to make it fast so you can get some rest."
John scowled at Ronon and Alex, waving them off as they tried to help him onto the table. He lay down and closed his eyes.
Jennifer turned to the controls and powered up the machine, not noticing Ronon following to watch the monitor over her shoulder. The image showed what she suspected, only now the area of heightened activity was significantly larger and brighter. She adjusted the control so that the scanner remained over his head. This level of activity was not normal for Sheppard, or anyone else. After studying the image for almost a full minute, Jennifer leaned closer, her mouth forming an "O". The readings indicated it was very slowly diminishing.
"Doc?" Ronon's deep voice was a low rumble.
"Yes. Yes, of course." Taking one last look at the screen, she turned the device off. "Okay, let's get you to bed."
He frowned at Jennifer as Alex guided him to a nearby room. "I can sleep in my quarters."
Yes, I know, but you can hardly stand on your own right now. You'll stay here, where I can keep an eye on you." Jennifer spoke quietly but firmly. One look at his color reinforced her decision to keep him in the infirmary. He was white as a sheet and the pain was etched on his face. "Come on."
He said nothing as he watched the nurse gently pry the forgotten transceiver from his hand. His brain wanted to stop working and everything was becoming distant and fuzzy.
"Look, I'm willing to let you try to get through this without medication, but I insist that you stay here."
"Kay." He finally agreed. Walking without assistance was iffy at best, and the nurse had already removed his sidearm and was unbuttoning his shirt.
"Good." She turned to Ronon. "Alex can handle this. Why don't you get something to eat and some rest yourself?"
He looked from her to Sheppard and back again. She raised her eyebrows and pointed to the door. "He needs to sleep. Don't worry, we'll take very good care of him."